advice from an unlikly source
by chiruri chikorate
Summary: Bakura is confused about his feeling for Yugi and gets help from an unlikly source.


Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Takahashi Kazuki.

I was feeling on top of the world. I'd aced two of my three midterms and was feeling very confident. Jauntily, I whistled a merry tune and was contemplating skipping down the hall like a certain energetic blond did when he got a pair of new shoes – except, unlike him, I wasn't so confident that I did not worry about what others would think of it. I wished I had Jou's confidence when it came to ignoring the reactions of the rest of the student body. Well, at least most of them were used to my hair now… Morosely, I hung my head, yet swiftly raised it when I heard two very familiar voices ahead of me. My mood quickly improved. There was Yugi and another one of my mates, Jou, near the exit of the school getting ready to take their leave, presumably to visit Yugi's grandfather's game shop to buy more Duel Monsters cards and duel each other. Eh? A teacher had grabbed Jou and was pulling him back to a classroom.

"Another time, Jou! Don't worry, I'll ask Grandpa to reserve one of the new booster packs for you!" Yugi called out to him.

Weaving around the crowd as best I could, I grabbed Yugi just as he had turned around and was about put his foot outside the door. "It's just me, Yugi," I quickly stated, my other hand at my side in non-menacing gesture. Poor Yugi had jumped his height at the abrupt touch and seemed ready to practically fly away. When he realized it was only me and not a bully trolling for entertainment, his expression turned into an innocent smile that, after many years of living with the Thief King (curmudgeon among all curmudgeons), I gladly appreciated.

"Oh, hi Bakura," he said as he turned all the way, fully facing me. "Jou and I were about to go to my grandpa's game shop, but Jou forgot he had to wash desks since he was late to class today." He paused. "Would you like to come?" he asked, nervously twirling his hair as he spoke. Neither of us had spent much time alone with the other before. The last time I could recall it just being the two of us, the Thief King took umbrage at a question directed to me (about him), seized control of my body and threatened Yugi, which in turn brought out the Pharaoh (or so Yugi related to me much later once I was back in control) and… well, things happened.

Still, I was undeterred. I liked Yugi's presence and really missed being beside him. I just would not allow a repeat, I assured myself. "Sure. Maybe we could help each other study for the last three finals tomorrow, seeing as how my worst subject, Chemistry, is a class you always make straight A's in," I pleaded, hands clasped together in a begging symbol and eyes shining with hope that he would help me.

Laughing impishly, the other teen smiled and chirped cheerfully, "Sure, Bakura, I would love for us to study together! After all, my grades in English could sure use the boost!"

&

On the way to Yugi's grandfather's game shop (which doubled as their domicile), the dark clouds which had loomed over Domino since afternoon finally started to pour on the people below, and we had to divert into a nearby bookstore to avoid getting soaked. Seeing as how we were going to be there awhile, I perused some of the books on a shelf near me. Most were authored by a woman who claimed to have psychic power. Picking up her latest copy and purchasing it, I meandered among the aisles until I spotted Yugi at one of the tables reading a book of the history of – you guessed it – gaming. I sat down in the seat next to him.

Yugi looked over at me and said, "I am really glad that we got to spend some time together, just the two of us," he declared as he awkwardly bumped his fist against mine.

"Yes, I believe you're right, Yugi: spending time with your mates is important," I replied, moving my hands away from his; although, it was mostly out of shock from the bolt of _something_ that was so powerful I felt that I was sure was making my hair stand up.

"_**Well, well, what do you know? We are more alike than I thought."**_

His teasing voice echoed through my mind. My hazel eyes widened in shock from that statement. _**"What do you mean by that!"**_ I demanded, my voice loud enough my head to be registered as an earthquake. The spirit responded with a spurt of thought-emotion, the kind that warned "don't talk to me like that unless you want to wake up in a padded room."

"_**I'll discuss this with you when I feel like it,"**_ the spirit declared.

"Bakura…" Yugi stammered. Apparently, he'd been waving his hand in front of my face, trying to get my attention, for the last minute.

"So sorry, Yugi," I answered, "the Thief King said something very weird to me."

"What did he say?" He looked at me with such concern in his eyes that it made me blush, thinking about how cute he was with such caring amethyst eyes.

My eyes widened further as the realization sank in with the impact of an Exodia's game-ending attack. "Yugi," I stated slowly as I grabbed my bag from the table and stood to put it on, "I think today is not a good day to study after all. I am sorry, but I have to go."

"Um, okay?" Yugi replied with confusion, standing up with me. He was obviously oblivious as to why I suddenly needed to leave, especially when it was still raining, albeit much more lightly. I was too preoccupied, my mind churning with thoughts and ideas and emotions, or else I would have noticed that his confused face was also cute.

I made no parting comment as the little bell above the bookstore's door smoothly rang, signaling my departure.

&&&

Once inside my apartment, I immediately ditched the bag with the new book and sat on the two-seat couch and dived into the Ring and landed in the antechamber that led to the doors of the two soul rooms. I brazenly opened the thief's door and walked inside, determined to get an answer out of him even if he used his powers to possess me and perpetrate very illegal and risky acts.

"Are you going to ask me what I meant, or are you just coming in to be hospitable," he taunted from where he lounged on a sofa, one of few pieces of furniture decorating his prison.

"We both know that you'd have shoved me back out if you weren't going to explain what you meant by 'you and I are not so different'," I lashed out from frustration.

"Maybe you would prefer to try to _guess_ what I meant first," he retorted. "I might take pity on you and end your idiotic curiosity if you get close." A sadistic smirk contorted his face.

Unfazed, I mused, "Okay, I'll bite." I searched my brain for an idea both outlandish and suitably disgusting to the thief, just to tweak him back. "My guess is that in ancient Egypt you had a thing for the Pharaoh," I teased in a voice so acidly sarcastic that I could have been mistaken for the Thief King himself.

His reaction was instantaneous, flying off the sofa like it was an electric chair. Once he reached me, he grabbed the lapels of my jacket fiercely, lifted me until my sneakers barely grazed the stone floor, and looked into my eyes with slightly darker hazel eyes that seethed with barely constrained malice. Even I, long used to his violent behavior, was jarred by it. Certainly any other person who was on the receiving end of it would have wished themselves dead!

"If you ever tell anyone about this conversation," he whispered, "I will take control and not rest until I find a means of banishing you to the Shadows to eternally suffer in excruciating torment." He then abruptly released me from his grip. I fell onto the floor with a hard thud, landing painfully on my right thigh as the force thrust my left foot into it. Rubbing the spot, I warily watched the other turn his back towards me, clearly unconcerned about any attack I might attempt to muster.

Slowly getting up and setting myself in a chair, I turned to the spirit with my eyes completely on him, observing his every move. Settling back down on the couch with graceful, measured motion, he glared at me. When he didn't receive a response, he sighed. "Fine. Just so you'll go away."

&

"_When I was alive, I was just a thief stealing whatever I could so I could scrape by another day of existence. I discovered I had a talent for going places unnoticed, and soon had stolen and sold enough goods for life to be easy. But I had become cockier after each successful theft, and now stole for the challenge alone. I set my sights on the palace, where the empire's treasures were guarded. One day, I posed as a palace guard and stole a vase that belonged to the High Priest Seto himself, whose _akh _and _ba_ was later breathed into Kaiba Seto._

"_I was so focused on my task I did not see the guard behind me until he took his knife and plunged the blade into the back of my leg so I would not be able to flee. He began kicking the wound, my chest and head, while calling me slurs. The pain was so bad I felt like my body was burning as heathen consumed by Ammit. I had never before been so wounded when I failed. Then the world faded to black._

"_When I came to, I saw the Pharaoh kneeling over me, replacing simple cloth pieces used to staunch the bleeding with quality linen cloth bandages, the kind Palace healers used. Noticing I was awake, he stated, "We have disciplined the guard who harmed you. We desire no one should take the life of another without honorable cause, even if it is the life of a thief who tried to steal from Our High Priest." His face was so full of compassion and kindness – much like Yugi's at the bookstore – I was immediately fascinated. I could barely recall what life was for me before the destruction of my village, and up until then had known only the coarseness and cruelty of the criminal world. I could not help being attracted to him._

"_I no longer desired to steal because I had found a new challenge. At first, I slipped through the Palace guards' watch and observed this man-child Pharaoh. Then, I escalated to catching him alone. We would speak of different matters and sometimes argue our points. This continued until I learned from a reliable source that his father had ordered the massacre of my village. I experienced a deep, sharp pierce to my very _ba_. That was the moment I realized what I had truly been feeling…_

"_I buried those feeling deep inside myself. My desires were no longer mine. Now that I knew who had murdered my kin, it was my duty to find a means of taking justice for all their deaths."_

&

"Do you still have those feelings now?" The realization that my joke was correct was spinning me like a washing machine's spin-dry cycle.

"What does that matter! The stupid Pharaoh forgot all his memories anyway, including the ones of me!" His gaze fell to the floor for a few minutes after he finished the last statement before lifting it up to meet mine. "I will tell you this much more, however, since you are such an _accepting_ host," he bit out. "You and I are two totally different people. Despite our attractions to people whose appearances are similar, you are not a reflection of my soul and I am not a reflection of yours! Your attraction to Yugi is your own feelings, not mine, so you should not feel like I am responsible for them," he finished emphatically. His eyes were quickly regaining the harsh light they'd held earlier when he had man-handled me.

"Thank you," I said, "that is helpful to me." I hastily left the spirit's soul-room and exited the Ring.

I had been 'gone' long enough for my wet clothing to have nearly dried on me. I shivered, and not necessarily from the loss of body heat. I grabbed the store bag and carried it into my room. I put the new book on my bookshelf with one hand while picking out school texts with the other hand. Still, I was wondering about the thief's story.

I shook my head to clear it. The homework would not be accomplished by itself. "Nothing is going to distract me from studying, no matter what!" I asserted to myself. This self-declared mantra lasted about an hour and thirty minutes before the phone rang interrupted.

Putting aside my materials, I walked into the living room to answer it. In a monotone, lackluster voice, I answered, saying, "Hello, this is Bakura Ryou speaking."

"_Bakura?"_ the voice questioned.

"Yugi…" I stammered in recognition.

"_Is something wrong?"_ he questioned

"No!!" I shouted into the receiver, nervousness making me speak louder than I intended. "I… was just talking to the spirit of the ring and… he helped me realize a few things, believe or not."

"_Like what,"_ Yugi invited. An impish tone in his voice made him sound incredibly young.

"Um, how about you and I meet up Saturday after midterms are over and go to a movie."

There was a small pause. _"Is this a__date?"_ Yugi inquired, all teasing gone from his voice.

"And if it is…?" I replied.

"_Well, then, I suppose I owe quite a big thank you to the Millennium Ring!__See you at school tomorrow and we can pick a time for Saturday,"_ Yugi chortled. "_Talk to you later."_

"Until then, Yugi." We both hung up.

"_**I guess I owe you a big thank you, too,"**_ I thought.

_**"Just don't expect me to give any more help about Mutou Yugi ever again!"**_ the spirit bellowed.

Additional notes:

1) In Japan, surnames (family names) come before personal names (first name).

2) "Set" versus "Seth" versus "Seto" — various translations of Seto's previous incarnation are used in different stories at FFN. Seto is not an Arabic name to the best of my knowledge, and Seth was the Greek spelling of Set. Set started as the god of chaos, but eventually came to represent one-half of the balance/reconciliation between two cosmic principles, Horus (whom the Pharaoh was essentially the living embodiment of) being the other half. Interesting, isn't it? Still, it appears "Seto" is the official spelling…

3) "Ka" — a person's life force. Death occurs when the _ka _leaves the body.

4) "Ba" — a person's soul, for lack of any better translation. It is everything that makes a person unique, somewhat like "personality." Inanimate objects can also have _ba_.

5) "…_whose _akh_ and _ba _was later breathed into_…" — http :// en. wikipedia. org /wiki /Egyptian_soul#Akh (remove spaces.) Fuller explanation than can be given in this space. A little artistic license was taken here, but this is a fanfic.

6) Ammit was the demon who would eat the heart of those judged unworthy by Ma'at to be led by Anubis to the afterlife to exist with Osiris. Full length explanation at — http :// en. wikipedia. org /wiki /Egyptian_ mythology#Death.2C_Burial_and_the_Afterlife (remove spaces.)

7) The Pharaoh is using the royal plural, indicating that this is not just his personal view but also his political view. The two were/are not always the same.

8) _**"**__…__**don't expect me to give any more help about Mutou Yugi ever again**__…__**"**_ — this may be part of the reasons he never, even though he had his memories, volunteered to simply _tell_ anyone what the Pharaoh's name was…


End file.
